The Searchers

Scholar Joseph Loconte examines one of the most remarkable passages of Scripture, an exchange in the gospel of Luke between two disciples of Jesus of Nazareth—uttered just days after his execution—about the longings of the human heart and the mysterious purposes of God.

In a world drenched in violence and oppression, here was a man armed with a message of peace and freedom. Into lives nearly overwhelmed by grief and sorrow, he brought compassion and healing and the deepest joy. To people who felt like outcasts and aliens, he showed the way home. And then, in one devastating night, all their hopes collapsed.

This is where our story begins—in the valley of despair. It is a tale of two friends, a stranger, and a search for truth in a world gone mad with doubt.

Historian Joseph Loconte unlocks the meaning of their exchange, set in the chaotic days following the execution of Jesus of Nazareth. Drawing from literature, film, philosophy, history, and politics, Loconte shows how this biblical drama is an integral part of our own story. Sooner or later, we will find ourselves among the searchers.

Contributor(s)

Joseph Loconte

About the Contributor(s)

Joseph Loconte

Joseph Loconte is a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Politics at The King’s College in New York City, where he teaches Western Civilization and U.S. foreign policy and writes widely about the importance of religious freedom in strengthening democracy, human rights, and civil society.

ISBN-10

1595554467

ISBN-13

9781595554468

Release Date

Jun 5, 2012

Weight (lbs)

0.8300

Height

8.75

Width

5.88

Length

240

Length Unit

Pages

Publisher

Thomas Nelson

Price

$24.99

Format

Hardcover

Language

English

Customer Reviews

Review by Angelica

Rating

This is going to be one of those books that is just really hard to review. I guess I should start off with saying that I do not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 20 as it can be a very difficult book to understand based on the way it is written. For me personally, this book discussed different things all while trying to tie them back to the encounter between Jesus and the two young men that were with him on the road to Emmaus. I think this book contained a lot of guess work. It has a lot of opinions in it of what might have happened or what might have been thought by the different men there that day and I think the book should have been a lot more factual. There were lots of things that were said in this book that I personally didn't agree with and they didn't match up with my views on God and the Bible. This book also tried connecting a lot of Biblical references to a lot of things that are related to today's world. Normally, this would be fine and even encouraged, but I found myself having to re read different sections and try to figure out how something related to "Where the Wild Things Are" has anything to do with scripture. Honestly, I wasn't even able to read through half this book. It was hard to understand from the beginning and the parts that I did fully understand, I didn't agree with the viewpoint. I'd encourage you guys to pick up this book and explore for yourself, but I'm going to have to go ahead and rate this book 1 out of 5 stars. It was not at all what I was expecting and I was rather disappointed in this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. (Posted on 7/31/2012)

Review by Karen

Rating

The Searchers takes you on a journey with the 2 men that Jesus joined on the road to Emmaus after He had risen from the dead. As you journey with them, Joseph Loconte speaks to various issues and emotions that these men would have been facing as they journeyed toward their hometown. Loconte expounds on various topics, such as grief, conspiracy, angels, myths, and more. Ultimately, in the end, it comes down to choice. As Loconte writes, “Wherever we are in our journey, whatever we believe, our earthly march will come to an end. Whether we meet Jesus at the moment of our death, or when he comes again – without disguise – we will face him.”

When I first started this book, I didn’t think I was going to like it. Loconte’s writing style is different than I normally read, and so I had difficulties at first getting into the book. However, as I read further, I found myself intrigued and barely able to put the book down. Loconte drew on different instances in history that correlated with his points about the 2 travelers, and wove them together so well, that it made reading this book enjoyable. I think anyone would do well to have this book in their collection. It was well-researched and well-written, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is searching for answers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. (Posted on 7/7/2012)